Angel was born on 29 March 1945 in Aulesti, Bizkaia, to Francisco Urcaregui and Nikolasa Careaga. He describes growing up on the farm, and all the chores, school and fun that entailed. His father was briefly imprisoned during the Spanish Civil War. School wasn't much fun, but he and his friends made makeshift skateboards and went to dances to entertain themselves.
Until he was 19, Angel helped out on the family farm, at which point he got a job in a marble mine. In 1965, his brothers, who were working in America, got a sheepherding contract for him. He did not speak any English when he arrived in Twin Falls, but he soon adapted to the language and enjoyed his new home very much. Angel explains his herding schedule, which governed his days until 1970, when he began working for Boise Cascade. He received an early retirement recently, after 30 years of work.
Angel met Joanne Guerricabeitia at a Basque picnic in 1972. They began dating in 1984, and were married the following year. Their two daughters, Carmen and Maite, have taken part in Basque dancing, and love to go to picnics and cultural events with their parents. Angel became a US citizen in 1977, and has only taken one trip back to Euskadi. Nevertheless, he still feels a strong attachment to his roots.
TAPE MINUTE SUMMARY OF CONTENTS
Tape 1
Side 1
0-8:30 Angel’s father Francisco was born and raised in Amorroto, Bizkaia and his mother, NikolasaCareaga, was born in Aulesti. The two were married in 1926 and had eleven children. There is quite a gap between the ages of some of Angel’s siblings, because Francisco was imprisoned for a few years during the Spanish Civil war. Angel was born on March 29th, 1945, and his chores as a child included cutting hay, taking the cows to water, and going to the hills to cut wood so that his brother could make coal. Their baserri had eight cows, some rabbits and chickens, a donkey, sugar beets, green beans, alfalfa, clover, fruit, and corn. The family would also vend apples in Bilbao.
8:30-14:30 When he was a child Angel used to entertain himself by riding on a makeshift skateboard. When he grew older, Angel used to go to Lekeitio every Sunday for the dances. Angel attended school for a few years and remembers that there was one building for the boys and another for the girls. When he first started attending school he didn’t speak any Spanish, so it was a bit hard for him to adapt. His teacher would hit the children on the heads with a stick of they spoke Basque or didn’t study their lessons.
14:30-21:00 Angel worked on the family baserri until he was 19, at which time he began working at a nearby marble mine. He recalls going to church, which was in those days conducted completely in Latin, and also to catechism, which was usually held in Basque. Several of his brothers had moved to the US while Angel was growing up, and later helped connect him with a job and bring him over. Angel felt that going to America was an obligation, and signed up for a 3-year contract. In 1965 he flew from Madrid to New York, then to Chicago, Salt Lake City, and finally landed in Twin Falls. When he came Angel didn’t speak any English, but a little sticker with his name on it helped him during the trip. Ben Oneida met him at the airport, and Angel was very happy to be met by somebody who spoke Basque.
21-28:00 Angel had high expectations about the US and liked it very much once he got there. Three of his brothers—Rufino, Gabriel, and Juan—were waiting for him in Shoshone. Having arrived in December meant that he needed to start working the very next day, for the sheep were lambing at that time. He started herding sheep that spring and his brothers served as camp tenders over the next few years. He would leave Shoshone in April and head toward Bellevue and then on through to Hailey and Ketchum. At the beginning of October he would start walking the sheep back down to Shoshone with a horse and a sheep wagon. Angel enjoyed the solitude of shepherding, and would often listen to Espe Alegria’s radio show on Sunday.
28-31:30 Angel explains how he would carve his name and the date on trees while he herded sheep for five years, and estimates that there are probably about 200 trees with his signature on them. At that time, Oneida had about four or five bands of a dozen men each. In March of 1970, Angel received his green card thanks to changes in the immigration and naturalization laws.
Side 2
0-8:00 Angel made a trip back to Euskadi in 1970 and says that it hadn’t changed much at all. However, after traveling there in 1975 he noticed that things were quite different. He and his brothers sent money back to their parents throughout the duration of their shepherding years. 1970 marked the last year he would work sheep, and he got a job in the plywood sector of Boise Cascade’s Emmett operation. He worked there for 30 years—until that facility shut down—and was able to collect early retirement.
8-14:00 Now Angel farms and sells alfalfa hay. Joe met his wife, Joanne Guerricabeitia, at a Basque picnic in 1972. Joanne grew up in Vale, Oregon, and would often see Angel at Basque dances in Ontario and the surrounding area. They started dating in 1984, and Joanne explains in considerable detail the story behind their first date. They were married on June 10th, 1985.
14-21:30 Joanne grew up speaking English at home, so she and Angel spoke English together and to their two daughters, Carmen and Maite, who are 16 and 11 years old, respectively. Carmen and Maite have both grown up participating in Basque events and eating Basque food, and are familiar with and appreciate Basque culture. In fact, both children have taken part in Basque dancing. Angel was always written letters to stay in contact with his family in Euskadi, but hasn’t made a trip back there since 1975. He notices that, in 1975, there were more cows than their used to be, more paved roads, and more people. His family was never very political, but Angel did notice that the political landscape had taken on a new form. He and Joanne had planned to visit a couple of years ago, but their plans fell through. They would like to make new arrangements to go.
21:30-24:00 Angel obtained US citizenship in 1977, but still considers himself mostly Basque. Like so many Basques, Angel has a small garden. He grows potatoes, cabbage, tomatoes, garlic, peppers, beans, and even grapes.
NAMES AND PLACES
NAMES:
Alegria, Espe; popular Basque radio host
Careaga, Nikolasa; mother
Guerricabeitia, Joanne; wife
Oneida, Ben; sheep owner and boss
Urcaregui, Angel
Urcaregui, Carmen; daughter
Urcaregui, Francisco; father
Urcaregui, Gabriel; brother
Urcaregui, Juan; brother
Urcaregui, Maite; daughter
Urcaregui, Rufino; brother
PLACES:
Amorroto, Bizkaia
Aulesti, Bizkaia
Bilbao
Boise, ID
Chicago
Emmett, ID
Hailey, ID
Ketchum, ID
Madrid
New York, New York
Salt Lake City, UT
Shoshone, ID
Twin Falls, ID
THEMES:
Latin Mass, Basque Catechism
Strict teachers
Shepherding—listening to radio
Raising a family
Obtaining citizenship
Basque garden
Basque identity